"We said all along that we expected Tyler's deal to get done in good time, but it's great now to have all of our signings complete," said head coach Marvin Lewis in a statement released by the team. "All 10 guys can help us by getting off to fast starts, and we are looking for Tyler to lead that. He's shown us everything we wanted to see in our offseason work."

Eifert won the
John Mackey Award last season at
Notre Dame as the nation's top collegiate tight end. He set a school record for career receptions by a tight end with 140. He gained 1,840 yards receiving last season and scored 11 touchdowns in helping the
Fighting Irish reach the BCS national title game.